19. Hayliel

19

W ith more confidence than I should have, I keep walking, doing my best to ignore the six students fanned out and blocking our path.

Honestly, I’m just hoping they’ll get the fuck out of our way and not cause a scene, but the closer we get, the more I realize that’s not going to happen. They look pissed.

“Does this, uh, happen often?” Mira asks, unsure what’s going on.

I frown. “Well, I mean, I’m definitely the butt end of more than one joke and usually have some asshole or another tripping or shoving me, but I don’t know what the hell this is. Maybe they just want to talk?” But even as I say the words, I don’t believe them.

“I don’t think so, Hayles,” Dina says, worry lining her voice. Shit. If this turns into something more than just verbal sparring, Dina’s father will have a fit.

We make it to a spot where we have to stop because the pissed off Fallen haven’t budged. “We just want to get by,” I say, keeping my voice neutral. Maybe they’ll appreciate a conversation. Though I’m betting they’ll appreciate that as much as a kick to the ass.

A guy with a massive forehead leers at me. “And we just want you gone from our school. I wonder which one of us will get what they want first?”

“Seriously? What the fuck is your deal?” Mira asks the group, unimpressed with their bullshit. I want to caution her to be quiet, to not let them bother her, but I can’t bury the tinge of joy that she’s standing up for me.

“Our deal,” a girl with thin lips and even thinner eyebrows sneers, “is that they let this vermin enter our school and expect us to be okay with it.”

Fucking hell. This again? I’ve heard this spiel from Seraphina already. “What the hell did I ever do to you?”

“You live in our dorms and take our classes as if you’re one of us, but you’re not,” the same girl says.

“You. Don’t. Belong. Here,” big forehead adds, stepping right up into my personal space.

Six months ago, his words would have caused me pain. Hell, even a month ago they might have, but not now. Now I see this for what it truly is. Weakness.

But it’s not mine. It’s theirs.

Where I’d normally cower from his nearness, all I feel is strength.

I don’t have time to do anything about it though because suddenly Mira is standing between me and this asshole, and she’s holding a small, sharp blade to his throat. “It’s time you back the fuck up, buddy, and get out of my friend’s face.”

“Or what? You’ll prick me with your tiny little blade?” The smirk on his face might make me believe he’s not scared of her, but the glint of fear in his eyes gives the truth away.

The guy I’d seen with Uriel a few weeks ago stands on my periphery. His wounds have healed, but if this breaks out into a fight, he’ll have fresh ones to take their place. He stands mostly on his own, a little further back than the other five in the group who have drawn close since our little altercation, but it looks like he’d rather be miles away than confronting us.

Mira smiles, but it’s anything but sweet. “I’ll use this tiny blade to keep you still while I use this one to cut off your tiny dick.” As if she conjured the damn thing, a slightly larger blade rests in her other hand where she holds it to his crotch.

“You’re crazy,” he says, voice wavering slightly, and hot damn, I’m with Dina. Mira might just be the angel I want to be when I grow up.

“Don’t fucking tempt me, you slimy piece of shit.” Nothing about Mira’s expression can make someone believe that she isn’t serious. I wouldn’t want to fuck with her, that’s for damn sure.

Thin brows steps forward as if to intervene, but that only makes Mira press the blades more firmly into big forehead’s body. He whines, voice shooting up a couple of octaves as he screeches, “Stay the fuck back, you idiot!”

Without warning, a Pure angel drops from the sky and I inwardly groan.

“What is the meaning of this?” Professor Uriel looks at the group of Fallen, then at Mira, and finally his gaze shifts to mine.

Not intimidated in the slightest, Mira says, “We were trying to leave when these cockfuckers blocked our path and started threatening us. But don’t worry, Prof., we’ve got it handled, don’t we, champ?”

Big forehead nods, raising his hands and backing up slowly. There’s a thin cut on his neck, and I don’t even want to think about what injuries might be present in his nether regions. Yuck.

“We are a prestigious school and violence among students will not be tolerated. I expect to see you all in detention. It would appear, Miss Hayliel, that you are at the very core of all our problems. If it happens again, I will personally see to it that you’re expelled.”

I suck in a breath, unable to believe the bullshit coming from his mouth.

“You smarmy piece of shit,” Mira says, wiping her blades off on her shorts before putting them away.

“What did you just say to me?” Professor Uriel asks, his eyes narrowing to slits.

“You heard me. Hayliel hasn’t done jack shit, but you know that already. Don’t you?”

If I didn’t love Mira before, I certainly do now.

Uriel’s jaw drops open. “How dare you!”

“How dare I? You’re the professor, asshole. You’re the one who’s supposed to be taking care of students, but all I see is an arrogant, self-centered jackass with a superiority complex.”

Uriel sputters, his face an unattractive shade of red. “That’s enough from you. Hand over your weapons and name this instant. We’ll see what the principal has to say about your defiance.”

Mira only laughs. “Like hell. I’m not giving you shit. And, speaking of Principal Cael, I bet he’d be very interested to know that one of his professors is less than unbiased. Isn’t that little tidbit in the school’s code of conduct?”

I didn’t think Uriel’s face could get any uglier, but it does, morphing into something darker. He’s pissed. Mira doesn’t seem to care that she’s just enraged him, though, and to my surprise, he actually backs off.

“I won’t tolerate another moment of this. Disperse!” he shouts over his shoulder to the group of Fallen before turning back to me. “My warning still stands. If I catch you causing trouble again, it’ll be the last thing you do at this school.” Then he turns and walks away.

My heart races, the heavy dose of adrenaline making me shake. Dina’s eyes meet mine where she steps forward. She looks sad and apologetic, but I reach out to squeeze her hand reassuringly.

“I see that guy is still a dick,” Mira says with a huff. I’m both embarrassed and utterly impressed with the way Mira handled this situation. She reminds me so much of Dina. Confident, headstrong. I know my best friend would have backed me up just as hard if we were anywhere else. But with the amount of pressure that her dad’s been putting on her, I don’t blame her for keeping silent. I’ll have to make sure she knows that.

Before my pulse can settle down, another angel drops from the sky and I almost shriek at the white wings, thinking Uriel is back. But it’s Castiel’s worried gaze that meets mine. “What in the Archangels mess was that all about?”

“Just another day in the life of a mutant.” A heavy weight settles over me. Pushing against it feels insurmountable. I don’t bother saying anything about Uriel, unsure if I can bash a professor to another professor, but really, I just don’t have anything left in me.

Mira has no such worries, immediately giving him the condensed version of what we just experienced, and with every word she says, I sense Castiel growing more and more pissed off.

“That’s unacceptable. I know you’d probably just like to get back to your dorm, but please come with me for a moment. I think it’s time we have a little chat with Uriel about the types of punishments he’s doling out.”

There’s very little part of me that wants to be around Uriel again, but I wouldn’t mind witnessing the verbal sparring between Castiel and that asshole. “You can head out if you want,” I say to Dina and Mira, because they sure as shit haven’t signed up for any of this, but they don’t budge.

I hope someday I can repay their kindness.

We head toward the main hall, hoping to find Uriel in his classroom. Even though it’s a weekend, Castiel doesn’t think he’d have just gone home after all that. He’s most likely having a tantrum in his office, and for some reason, that makes me a little giddy. Serves the asshole right.

With every step we take, I find myself falling deeper into the woman I once was. The girl from before SCU. The one who never fit in. I hate it.

When we’re only a few rooms away from Uriel’s class, something shakes me from my inner turmoil. Angry, hushed tones come from a classroom up ahead. Uriel’s classroom. From this distance, I can’t hear what’s being said, but they sure as fuck don’t sound happy.

With the door shut and the small window covered, we can’t see who’s inside. It’s only when we press our ears to the door that we can hear clearly.

“That wasn’t what we agreed to! Do you understand the risks you put all of us in by going off script?” Uriel sounds pissed, and I wonder who he’s talking to. Clearly, he doesn’t think anyone would dare listen in. Cocky shit.

“You should have all stuck to the plan. Target her when she’s alone, make her feel isolated, and keep her preoccupied.” Time freezes as I catch on to what he’s saying. The Fallen picking on me, his lack of disregard. Is it all part of some elaborate plan they’ve concocted? I share a look with my friends, but none of us say a word.

I miss what he said next but can easily figure it out when Uriel replies, “I don’t care. Find a way to get her alone, but no more causing a scene or you’ll ruin everything.”

“Why do we need to do this again?” someone else asks, seeming almost bored.

Now that’s a question I’d like the answer to.

There’s silence for a moment, and I’m worried Uriel won’t answer the question. It’s only one I’ve been trying to figure out myself since the Fallen began openly hating me.

“You’re not here to know the reasons, you fool. You’re here to do as I say. All you need to know is that it’s imperative that she’s distracted for the next phase of the plan. We need to keep her busy so she can’t keep looking into things. And need I remind you she survived a fucking angel blade? No angel can survive that, which only proves she’s not one of us.”

My eyes widen. How the fuck does Uriel know about that?

“Isn’t it true that only demons can survive a hit from one of those blades?” someone else asks, fear present in their voice.

“An angel blade won’t kill a demon, no. All the more reason for you to do better or I’ll find others who can. And trust me, none of you will like the consequences of failing this task.”

It takes everything in me not to barge in and confront Uriel for his shit. Fuck. It kills me that I can’t rub it in his smarmy fucking face that I know he hates me, and that now I’ll make him pay.

Castiel made a pretty convincing argument though, and that’s why, thirty minutes later, our entire group is in the cave.

I’m still fuming, pacing, wanting to go back there and give him a piece of my mind.

“I’m going to ask this, but I don’t want anyone to take it the wrong way,” Zeke says, and I shoot him an angry glare. I hate those words. It’s almost always backed up by some bullshit that you can only take the wrong way.

“Is there any chance you misinterpreted the situation?” I open my mouth to chew him out, but he cuts me off. “And before you bite my head off, it’s not you I’m doubting. I just can’t see Uriel coming up with this shit or executing these types of plans. The guy can’t even lie well. We saw that firsthand after the attack on the school.”

Theo extends a hand behind me, trailing over my shoulder and up my neck, gently pressing his fingers into flesh until I relax marginally.

Breathe, firefly, he says through our bond, and I do my best to follow his request.

“We didn’t mishear,” Mira says, then Dina and Castiel nod in agreement.

Zeke’s frown deepens. “Fuck. In that case, this is bad. And if he knew about the angel blade, it’s not hard to assume where he got that information.”

Raphael’s eyes grow wide, and I’m still trying to figure out why when he says, “You think he’s working with the mole at the guild?”

Mira sucks in a sharp breath.

Shit. He’s right. Very few angels know I survived that day. The guild members who showed up to help, and us. I doubt anyone in this cave said anything, so that only leaves the damn guild.

“It makes sense,” Raph continues, looking thoughtful. “Principal Cael thought a student was involved in the attack on SCU, but what if it wasn’t a student? What if it was a professor?”

Silence falls as we consider his words. Just how far does the web of lies and treachery reach? Angels and demons working together. Professors allowing an attack on school property and directing students to bully others. This can’t be the world we live in.

“If what you’re saying is true—and I believe it is—things are far worse than we realized. Uriel would have had the means to drop the school’s protective shields and let demons just waltz in,” Castiel says, looking mortified. “As hard as it’s going to be, we can’t let on to Uriel or anyone else that we know what’s going on. Our only leverage right now is that they don’t know that we know. We can use this to our advantage.”

I nod. As much as I hate it, he’s right. “Uriel ordered the students to get to me when I was alone. I hate to be more of a burden, but maybe that’s something we can use in our favor.”

“You’re never a burden, sunshine. We’ll all happily stay at your side forever.”

My cheeks flame, knowing that Castiel is witnessing this, but it doesn’t stop the growing hunger in my core. When he says things like that, I can’t help but melt into a puddle of goo.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll see if I can uncover anything that could help us understand what it is he needs you distracted from. For now, lie low and be careful.” Castiel turns to me, his eyes softening. “Keep your wits about you.”

He turns to leave but I stop him, needing to ask one last question. “Wait. Back at Uriel’s classroom, he alluded to the fact that I was a demon. Do you think he truly hasn’t figured it out yet and still believes I’m spawned from demons?”

Castiel looks from me to my friends, before his eyes settle back on mine. “It’s possible. Miss Hayliel,” he says, sighing. Then he adds, “But it’s also possible that he knows what you truly are and would rather spread fear instead.”

He exits the cave, leaving us with that dreadful thought.

When I finally learned the truth and found out I was a Seraphim, it felt like things were finally settling into place.

Now it just feels like they’re crumbling all around me once again.